Wednesday night marked the beginning of Passover, a week-long holiday that celebrates Charlton Heston's most brilliant performance. Of course, not coincidentally, this is also Easter week. Passover begins and for me, ends, with a seder on the first night. I was graciously and generously invited by my landlord's family to join their seder on Wednesday. Apart from the seder there's not much to Passover in Jerusalem. Businesses re-opened their doors last night and this morning. I had heard that it can be a challenge to buy chametz (food not kosher for passover) during this week. Nevertheless, I decided that today I would set off in search for chametz. I walked into my supermarket and found drop cloth with daunting signs reading CHAMETZ! covering all of the food I wanted to buy. I walked out empty-handed thinking that I live in city whose denizens share entirely different goals in life. I don't think that mine are any more virtuous; they're just different.
In addition to my quest for chametz, I walked to the Christian Quarter of the Old City to see what happens on Good Friday, the day on which Jesus took a stroll down the Via Dolorosa...and died. I arrived early in the morning to find the narrow alleys relatively deserted. The only thing of note was this guy assuming the role of Jesus, shlepping a cross as he took instruction from the photographers to 'give me pious...now look messianic'. And when I arrived at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I found a large crowd of people in the small plaza in front of the church. For some reason the building was closed. I guess this was as close to the sepulchre as these people were going to get today.
3 comments:
Who knew Jesus wore Birkenstocks? Were there any cute bunnies or little chickies hopping around?
-Sarah
Adam - there was a piece on Global news tonight about not being able to buy Chametz in some places in Israel. However, they said that you can buy it in some restaurants. Owners of bakeries take the 8 days off, rather that try to sell there goodies. Fines are steep if they are caught. You may recall when we went to Miami, Florida for passover with the Greenbergs, a hundred years ago, we went into a kosher store and the Chametz section was covered and blocked off---no access.
Enjoy the rest of your pesach. You may have to buy a box of matzah.
Mom
Sarah: people who celebrate Easter here are not the sort to have false idols like cute, fertile animals. All in all, not much Easter activities to be found here.
Mom: I don't remember the struggle for chametz in Florida, but that's doesn't surprise me since it was a kosher grocery store. After all, if it did sell such things, I would cease to be kosher.
Here in Jerusalem, I can access all the bread I want by simply going to East Jerusalem where its business as usual. Someone also told me that Israel's largest coffee shop chain, Aroma, sells their loaves of bread even during this week. But not worry, I have an extra loaf in the freezer -- I anticipated this crisis.
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